


Somewhere Between, The Truth Lies

by whointheheck



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Episode: s08e04, F/M, Fix-It, Fluff, Gendry is Embarrassed, Humor, Post 8.04, give me fluff or give me death, like propose to a woman you've only been with for three days, love makes you do crazy things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2020-03-20 08:21:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18988879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whointheheck/pseuds/whointheheck
Summary: “You’re going to hate yourself in the morning.” Arya says with an exasperated tsk as she tugs back the string on her bow. She doesn't even bother look at him anymore. “Talk to me again when you aren’t completely pissed, stupid.”**The morning after: Gendry wakes, reflects, and makes some decisions.One of which, is speaking with Arya.





	Somewhere Between, The Truth Lies

**Author's Note:**

> just a quick fluff piece about how honestly, the fact that gendry asked for something so stupid is ok because arya already knows that he's kind of an idiot anyway

Gendry wakes up with his brain feeling twice as big inside his skull, the throbbing deep and filled with reckoning. It mingled with the sour taste on his tongue. Too much wine, ale, or mead. Perhaps a horrid concoction of all three sharpening the breath on his teeth.

He feels miserable. Rightly so.

When the pain grows numb, there's nothing to save him from the embarrassment that takes its place. Nay, the humiliation.

The urge to dig a hole and bury himself in it was ever so tempting, but Gendry tries to avoid drama as much as he can. He's already been sober for far too long anyway with a headache this huge. No, instead he curses and bathes, shucks on his boots and goes to find her.

Hopefully; though Gendry dryly disbelieved of such a thing, Arya would be merciful.

 

*****

 

His head isn't even fully in the tent yet when Arya starts laughing at him. It isn't an outwards, full-belly shameless laugh, but her pale eyes are shining with both apprehension and mirth.

“Are you here to ask me to marry you again?”

Gendry rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Get it all out now while you can.”

Arya is throwing on her armor as she turns to look in the mirror that reveals the smirk on her face. “I'm sorry. I'm just a little confused, my lord. Your name is Gendry Waters, right? Or wait is it Rivers?”

Gendry closes his eyes and beg for peace. When he opens them again there's still Arya there, her teasing with little barbs that hurt, sure, but they're minuscule to what he'd feared. There was a reason why he didn’t drink often. Somehow, he always ended up looking the fool.

“Don't call me ‘my lord’.” Gendry says to which she answers with another smirk. It's mischievous, but more than that: it's forgiving. That's enough to make him walk over, to wrap his arms around her waist. She doesn’t pull away, even leans against his chest as much as she’s allowed.

“Does Lord Baratheon suffice?” Arya jests much to his grimace.

Gendry presses his mouth just below her ear. “You're going to hold this over me for the rest of my life, aren't you?”

“Lord over you, you mean.” Arya deadpans. “And, yes. Yes, I am. I should raven Hot Pie to let him know all about what happened last night too. It'll surely give him a laugh, my lord.”

Gendry makes a face.

Arya turns her head towards him. “Not so fun, is it?” She asks. “Being called something you're not.”

“No.” Gendry sighs. “It's not.” Doesn't mean it's not something he has to get used to now though. With this new title and once the war was officially over, Gendry's life would be forever changed. He didn't know why he didn't feel as accomplished once all the liquor has left his system. “The castle will be quite nice though.”

“Hmm. Yes.” Arya watched him still from the corner of her eye. “I imagine being legitimized will be too.”

The true perk really compared to all the other aspects of being labeled a Lord - and with the entirety of Storms End to remind him how true that new title was. With no Arya at his side to keep him from attempting to jump off the cliffs away from his future strenuous responsibilities.

Suddenly, Gendry feels sick.

“I didn't mean anything by it, you know.” Gendry says, and Arya observes him from just under her lashes. “The proposal. All of it.” He hugs tighter around her middle to press against the torment building up in his chest for fear that Arya would cast him aside again.

Little as she was, Arya still is quicker than him. She grasps the hand that's around her stomach and removes it. No, holds it. And turns to face him. Arya doesn’t move back from where she stood, keeping just centimeters away. “Yes, you did.”

The humor has faded from her eyes and it causes heat to build in the back of his collar. There's no way to hide from that all-knowing gaze. “Aye. I suppose you're right. Partially.”

Arya's eyebrow rose.

“It's too early for an engagement.” Gendry answers with. “But, I did mean it when I said you were beautiful.”

There's that look again. The one he remembers through his drunken haze where her grey eyes widened, mouth slouching open from the compliment. It's gone quicker than the first time, but it settles something inside of him. Something that had caused him to rush back inside for goblet after goblet of wine. He vaguely recalls Clegane rolling his eyes at him; telling him to get his head out of his arse before he turned into his drunkard father.

Gendry's thumb rubs over her knuckles. Her hands could kill in a moment's notice, yet her stubborn calluses felt so soft against his own now. “None of it is worth it, Arya…” He says quietly. “Honestly.”

She looked down at their coupled hands. “I'm leaving for King's Landing.” She spit out as if to remind herself, startling him enough to blink. “The Hound is going to be leaving and I plan to meet him soon.”

“Oh.” Gendry says.

The silence between them is palpable. Maybe he should have waited a few days then. Maybe even without wine, Arya still turns him into an over-dramatic lovelorn fool.

“Should I return, I plan to travel west.” Arya continues, voice soft. Still the the light in her eyes were firm and Gendry knew in that moment to follow every word she spoke or else he might lose her forever. “There is so much of the world that is left undiscovered. Our maps right now have missing pieces and I intend to find them, to discover unknown lands…” She trails off, down to her shoes.

Gendry knows she's not going to out right ask. That would reveal too much of what she was thinking, but it’s there - the invitation that wasn’t spoken. Gendry’s never imagined anything outside of what’s in front him. He’s never had the drive Arya has to aspire for things bigger than himself. But, when he looks at the steely set of her jaw Gendry can picture her there on a large ship with the Stark symbol emblazoned on the mainsail. It’s a mesmerizing sight. Especially when he imagines himself beside her.

“West?” He repeats slowly and she looks back up at him. “ As in West of Westeros?”

Arya stares at him and Gendry releases a quick grin.

A laugh escapes him when her hands leave his to push against his chest. She's much stronger than they were as children, managing to make him stumble.

By the time he's righted himself, Arya is looking back at the mirror to place her sword at her side.

“Stupid.” She calls him over her shoulder. She's trying not to smile, but Gendry is onto the twinkle in her eye.

Gendry grins.

“You're going to make an awful lord.” Arya sniffs. “I can't wait to hear when Storm's End kicks you out of the gates on your bull-headed arse.”

“Perhaps I'll leave it to Ser Davos then.” Gendry surmises. “To hold the castle until I'm prepared for lordship.”

Arya bites at her lip. “You can't do that.”

“I think I can.” Gendry replies. “If I ask kindly enough. Besides, Storm's End has lasted well off without me for years. I dont think they're rushing for a new lord just yet.”

Arya says nothing to that. Just grabs her final weapon; the one he made for her, and a bag.

Gendry keeps going. Somehow his mouth has forgotten how to keep itself shut, sober or not. “The last time I was in a castle anyway I was tortured.”

Arya rolls her eyes and walks around him. “Seduced.” She reminds dryly.

“Seduced and then tortured.” Gendry corrects. He follows after her. Strange how normal it feels again, to see Arya leading the front. It makes nostalgia well up in his throat. Maybe he'll raven Hot Pie too just so he knows they’re not dead. That they survived. “I reckon I might be traumatized, milady. Maybe I'll just avoid castles altogether until I’m no longer mentally grieving.”

Arya snorts, walking faster towards her horse. “You were just talking about how nice having a castle would be.”

“Did I?” Gendry says. “Apologies, I haven't been myself since the war.”

Arya gives him a warning glance and sticks her foot into the stirrup and hops onto the back of her horse. “You're an idiot, Gendry Baratheon.” She decides.

Gendry smiles. “I'd have to be with that name.”

They look at each other again. Truly look. With the rush of accomplishment gone from the night before, Gendry didn't know for certain if he was in love with her. But, he knew in his heart that it would happen someday where he would think of home and only dream of Arya.

He knew she could feel it coming too.

Underneath all that Arya showed towards the world, there in the depths of her pale eyes, could Gendry catch a glimpse of who she truly was inside. Arya might always be able to read him better, but he thought he might be the closest person to read her in years. What she planned to do with that was for her to decide. But, until then:

“I'll be here when you return.” Gendry says with a surety that causes Arya's eyes to mist.

She leans down and there to seal their lips that seal together. It was so different from the one they'd shared in the forge, yet the shivering effect it had in him remains the same. Gendry’s hand reaches up to cusp around her ear; thumb gracing over her cheek bone while his fingers curl through her hair. This is what a first kiss felt like. Gendry imagined that maybe it was.

A true beginning from all the horrors they survived separately and together.

When Arya is gone, Gendry follows the instructions she’d given him as a whisper in his ear.

Once his headache is well and truly gone, he's going to need a ship.

And with that: a crew.


End file.
